With the number of games running out in the regular season, you might say that tonight’s game between the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche in Denver (9:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN) is a must-win game for the Ducks.
The Ducks sit 12th in the Western Conference, eight points behind a trio of teams all tied for the eighth and final playoff spot. While the odds are stacked against the Ducks for making the postseason with 13 games left to play, don’t think that will keep the Ducks from going for it as one of those three teams in eighth is the Avalanche.
If the Ducks are going to make the impossible happen, seeing their host of superstars step up and play like men possessed would be a good way to do it. Corey Perry has been having another huge second half and Teemu Selanne continues to be as steady as ever. Getting more from Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan would go a long way to helping out as the Ducks offense has slumped lately getting shutout twice in their last six games. With Saku Koivu playing in his 1,000th career game tonight, he’s got that much more to play for himself.
Of course, coach Bruce Boudreau is seeing the stress of trying to rally his team build up on him as well as he takes it out on officials. What he could use is seeing his blue line play a little tighter and Jonas Hiller playing the part of Superman.
Doing all of that against a feisty Avalanche team will be hard though. The Avs have been reinvigorated since acquiring Steve Downie going 7-3-0 since he’s arrived from Tampa Bay. Whether that’s coincidental or a sign that the Avs needed more sandpaper to their game is up to you to decide, but Colorado has played with a lot more conviction lately.
One guy who has sharpened his game in that time is goalie Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov was treading water playing average in goal, but he’s had two shutouts and allowed one goal three times in the last ten games, including a 4-1 win over the Ducks just two weeks ago. Varlamov has stepped up big when the team has needed him most and you can’t ask for more than that.
The Avs are going to have to do without Matt Duchene for the next few weeks as he’s out with an ankle injury. Fortunately for them, Ryan O’Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog have been their dynamic forward duo. Throw Paul Stastny into the mix and the Avs have guys that can score. They’ll need to bring it big against a Ducks team that’s desperate and dangerous.